


Mirrors and Marriage

by Skyler10



Series: Mirrors [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Baby Fic, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Hurt/Comfort, Infertility, Nothing explicit, Pete's World, Pregnancy, Romance, Trying For A Baby, hints at smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-08 20:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3221732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyler10/pseuds/Skyler10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mirrors, both literally and figurative, play a key role as Rose and Tentoo try for a baby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Transfixed

**Author's Note:**

> This is a mix of all genres: silly and serious, fluffy fun and angst, romance and hurt/comfort, domestic/family stuff and hints at smut but nothing nearly as mature/explicit as what I usually write. 
> 
> p.s. As the title suggests, this fic contains a scavenger hunt of reflective surfaces. See if you can spot them all!

Rose reached up to fasten the clasp of her bra. The door to the en suite was open and the air conditioner blew a chill down her bare skin, contrasting sharply with the steamy heat lingering from her shower. She would have just turned on the vent, but _someone_ decided it could be more efficient and sonic-ed it into oblivion. Honestly, she was so used to exploding appliances by now that she just sighed when he told her. He had promised to fix it today, however.

She shook her head at the memory and focused on applying lotion to her legs. As she finished and lifted her head, she felt, through their mental bond, his presence in the bedroom behind her. Half a second later, she rose up enough to catch his gaze in the mirror. Her pulse quickened at the hunger in his reflection.

The Doctor was sitting on the edge of their bed, frozen in place. One shoe, laces untied, was halfway on his foot; the other still in his hand. He might have looked a bit silly from another angle, ogling his wife of several years like a teenager, but from Rose’s perspective, the light from the bathroom only illuminated his lust, his desire, his passion.

She couldn’t help but give him a self-satisfied smirk through their reflections. His lust gave way to guilt as he met her eyes. She had caught him staring. Now his mouth was moving as if he wanted to say something, give an excuse, but was coming up short. Part of her enjoyed making such a chatterbox speechless with only the sight of her body. Especially with such an obvious reaction. She glanced down at her watch on the counter. They didn’t have to be at Tony’s football game for another hour and a half. They had time.

She spun around a little too fast, holding onto the doorframe to steady herself. She regained her balance and played it off easily, leaning against the cool painted wood in a pose she’d seen in some movie.

The desire in his stare was back in force, but his words were not. She could do something about that.

“See anything you like?” she quipped. She slowly stalked towards him, adding a bit more sway to her hips than was necessary.

The Doctor nodded and swallowed.

He grabbed onto her hips as she stood over him. She ran a hand through his messy brown hair and tilted his head back for better access to his lips. His big Time Lord brain finally kicked into action as their mouths connected and he leaned back, pulling her with him. She gave in and climbed up. She hovered over him, knees on either side of his waist.

“Rose,” he whispered in awe. She let her hands wander, drawing around the outlines of the logo of her brother’s football team. Tony had given this shirt to the Doctor at the beginning of the season and he’d worn it to every game since. _He would be such an amazing father_ she thought for the millionth time. She fell a little bit more in love every time they babysat, every bedtime story, every family game night… _Focus, Rose._

“How long were you watching me?” she asked. He bucked his hips up in just the right way as her hand wandered too low. “Ah, quite a while then?” she interpreted.

“Just enjoying the view,” he murmured.

Wanting to draw out her game a little longer, she bent down until her mouth was at his ear.

“You liiiike it,” she gave her best Cassandra impression with a small giggle at the end. He made a low-pitched laugh-like noise in the back of his throat as he threaded a hand through her gold strands and pulled her into a sloppy kiss. She deepened it, but quickly realized how uncomfortable this position was, leaning over him. She straightened up on her knees.

“Well, now, this isn’t really fair, is it?” She raised an eyebrow and indicated his fully clothed state.

“Tisn’t,” he agreed with a growl. “The question is, what are you going to do about it?”

A mischievous grin spread up her features. Though she loved rendering him speechless, she also dearly loved that rumble and the scandalous things it could communicate.

She snaked a hand under his T-shirt and he sat up, with her now straddling his lap. As the shirt cleared his head, mussing his hair even further, she immediately set about working on the button of his trousers, then claiming victory over the zipper. She pressed her fingers into the gap and raised her eyebrows in mock surprise.

“Oh, Doctor! Is this for me?” she teased both verbally and otherwise.

“Always and…” He kissed down her neck to her shoulder, “And only you,” he traveled farther down, “ _Rose Tyler._ ” He said her name in the way only he could say it, drawing it out with a flourish, yet filled with need and want.

“Quite right,” she bragged, tugging at his waistband.

“Impatient,” he chastised into her soft skin.

“What’s that?” she retorted, replacing her hand to its previous location and giving a little squeeze.

In one smooth motion, he batted her hand away and caught her hips again, rolling them over and lowering her to the bed. He stood and she whimpered involuntarily at the loss of contact. It was his turn to smirk as he pushed down his trousers. She sat up and helped free him of his boxers as well. He stepped out of them and gently pressed her back to the bed.

“Now who’s not being fair?” He dropped a quick nod to her undergarments, still in place from when he’d watched her dress in the mirror.

“What are ya gonna do about it?” She echoed with a twinkle in her honey orbs.

He was over her in an instant, unhooking that pesky bra with practiced fingers and tossing it across the room. He paused for a moment to pay homage before moving south to hook a thumb on the side of her knickers. His fingers played there a bit, capturing her mouth with his lips again in the process. He stilled as he felt the damp fabric and drew back above her.

“Rose Tyler, is this for me?” He slipped his middle finger deeper.

“Mmm.” She arched into his hand. “Always,” she purred, remembering her line before it was too late. “Only you.” Her eyes slammed shut as he continued his ministrations. “ _Doctor_ …” His name came out as only she could say it: a plea, a declaration of love, a knighthood.

He pulled the scrap of fabric down her smooth legs and dropped it to the floor. He stood up and inhaled sharply. He let his eyes roam in the ancient way of a husband: freely with unmasked delight and want and holy adoration, secure in their forever yet still frightened by how precious this life was, how precious _she_ was, how vital to his existence. No matter how many times they did this, no matter how many years went by and silly rows and inside jokes and exhausting days, that sense of reverence and unbelievable luck never completely faded. They each secretly dreaded a day when it all became too familiar, when they took this for granted or got bored, but it had never come thus far.

She noted it was no longer enough to simply have him staring, as satisfying as that was. Touch, her body urged. Back to the physical contact.

She reached for him, then beckoned him with a crooked finger, giving him her best seductive smile in hopes it would draw him magnetically back to her.

It did.

His eyes darkened again to those of the hungry creature she had seen in the mirror. She was barely aware of how her body shuddered as he moved over her. She scooted back on the bed and he followed.

Something they had learned about marriage over time, through much trial and error, is that it never takes experienced dance partners long to find their rhythm when their minds are just as united as their bodies. Their mental connection was never stronger than when they were seeking ways to bring each other joy. And as they gave, they received. The more selfless the dancer; the more rewarding the dance.

As usual, while their breathing slowed and contentment set in, something magical happened. Their mental link had an afterglow of its own, warm and comforting and whispering in their heads to the other “IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou,” over and over, like the hum of their growing TARDIS.

They were always careful to voice it aloud as well. Rose wondered whether it was Donna’s influence in his head or an article she had caught him reading about “What Your Woman REALLY Wants” or simply half-human instinct kicking in, but he made sure to tell her every day, every chance he got.

“Rose Tyler.” He nuzzled into her hair. “I love you.”

And she knew. It wasn’t any of those things. It was because he had missed his chance before. And he would never miss it again.

She turned to meet his pools of dark chocolate heavy with the lazy side effect of gratified pleasure.

“I love you too.”

He gave her a goofy smile before pulling her back to their cuddling position.

“Doctor,” she hummed against his shoulder.

“Mmhmm?”

“We should probably take another shower.”


	2. Hearts Without Chains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Same day, after their shower. <3

He traced the lines of her scars with light fingertips. His arms were wrapped around her bare skin as they both faced the bathroom mirror.

_Have you lost the same things I have lost?_

_Do you know the panic I know?_

_Would I see the terror in your face?_

_Do you know the fever I know?_

Ellie Goulding came on the radio station playing on Rose’s phone. They caught each other’s reflection as the lyrics echoed off the walls. It had taken years to reveal all, but if anyone in the world understood his loss, his anxiety, his deepest fears… it was Rose. He knew hers as well. She had told him the stories behind each of these scars. How hopping across dimensions to find him had permanently marked her both inside and out. It had been the most intimate night of their relationship: when she told him the stories of the bullet graze, the hastily sewn stitches, the white line from the explosion. And he filled in missing details of his story. This body didn’t carry the physical scars of the old one, but his heart still carried them anyway.

_If time was still, we’d have no fear_

_or scars to heal_

_in our hearts without chains_

They had learned to unchain their hearts, eventually. She had matured into a confident leader, speaking with authority and intelligence. But she had changed in other ways too. In the way that strong women do after devastating loss, she had built shields to protect herself from pain. In the way that reunited lovers do, she had been hesitant and reserved around him at first. And in the way that gentlemen in love do, he had patiently but relentlessly pursued her until she lowered those instinctive shields and blossomed into the Rose he once knew. No, even better. The Rose he had won back was a woman, not the 19-year-old girl of pigtail braids and sparkly T-shirts he had met in a Henrik’s of another universe.

The song ended and she sighed, turning to face him. Their mental link communicated her need for assurance. He had occasionally caught her comparing her body to other women, wishing she were whole and unmarked for him.

He planted his hands firmly at her waist, commanding her attention.

“Have I told you that you’re so incredibly beautiful?”

“Every day,” she murmured with a hint of a smile.

“Believe it,” he pleaded as his hands roamed once more. “I love your scars. I don’t love why you got them, that I wasn’t there to protect you, that it took so much pain. But they tell a story. Our story. Of how one magnificent woman loved a Time Lord so much, she crossed dimensions to find him and together they saved the world. All worlds, really.”

She pulled him in for a deep kiss.

“I love it when you tell it like that,” she said after they caught their breath. “Doctor?”

“Mmhmm?”

“Will you tell it to our children that way?”

His eyes widened and pulse quickened.

“Are you? You’re not?”

“No, you daft alien. Not yet.” She smiled a bit at either his forgetfulness or lack of knowledge about how women’s bodies worked. “Remember last week? The run to the store to pick up...” She waited for him to fill in the blank with a product that would tell him how very not pregnant she was.

“Oh.” He tried to keep any disappointment hidden. "Right."

He nodded and studied their feet, not wanting her to read the thoughts and emotions that might be escaping to his face.

“It probably takes more than a month or two, you know,” she reassured him. “For lots of couples. Doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with us. Really.”

His head snapped back up as she voiced the exact doubt in his head. “How…?”

“Um, telepathic bond?” she reminded him, tapping her temple. “Been getting stronger now that we’re trying. Don’t worry, love. Give it time.”

A grin broke out across his features at her words. They hadn’t really said it out loud since they had The Talk and made The Decision. They were officially trying to start a family. They didn’t know if it would work, with his genetics being so scrambled and all she had been through from Bad Wolf to dimension hopping, but it didn’t keep them from hoping and (cautiously) planning.

Her gaze drifted to the clock and she let out a little yelp.

“Speaking of time, we’ve got to go!” She grabbed her clothes and threw his shirt at him. He caught it and pulled it on, trying to focus on the day ahead instead of dwelling on the image in his mind: the reflection of his battle-scarred wife wrapped in his arms as she had been a few minutes ago, but with the addition of a new life stretching her skin taut over her middle. Nope, he certainly couldn’t think about that while trying to get ready quickly.


	3. Baby Season

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose endures social pressures of the ordinary and celebrity variety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've left this for a while. More to come, I promise. I just keep adding chapters in the middle!

Despite Rose’s confidence that it was only a matter of time, babies seemed to surround her over the next month or two. Co-workers, her favorite TV characters, neighbors… it seemed everyone around her had no trouble at all procreating. She was still aware that they hadn’t been trying on purpose all that long, but the abundance of prams and baby showers and Mother’s Day advertisements was driving her spare anyway.

Family members of 7-and-under footballers crowded the bleachers. Tony’s team had made the city-wide playoffs. Of course, it was mainly for the entertainment value at this age so the families cheered on each other’s kids and became quiet neighborly. That part always made the Doctor and Rose nervous as they couldn’t really reveal much of their past honestly. It was enough to draw attention to themselves that Rose and Tony were 21 years apart in age, but the added mystery of Torchwood and her spontaneous appearance in the public eye after being non-existent until adulthood still resulted in some awkward questions even now, years later.

“Hey Rose! Hi Doc!” a chipper woman’s voice greeted the couple as they climbed the stairs.

“Morning Helen,” Rose returned. The Doctor shifted awkwardly next to her, not wanting to stop for a chat but sure he would get a lecture on rudeness from his wife if he ignored the impending conversation.

“Did you hear about the Browns?” Helen leaned in to make sure her gossip was not overheard. “One more on the way! You’d think five was enough, but if anyone can handle six it’s High Energy Harry. And _she_ never seems to gain a pound after. Just not fair at all!”

“How does she do it?” Rose returned politely, not caring in the least who the Browns were or how many children they had.

“And are we going to be hearing the pitter-patter of little feet anytime soon from your place?” Helen pried. “Best get started while you’re young, you know. Don’t wait too long like we did. You two travel so much… but time waits for no man, eh, Doctor?”

The Doctor nodded with a tight-lipped smile and tugged on Rose’s hand.

He was too late, however, as another team mum joined Helen for the game.

“OOO ROSE!” the other mum shrieked. “We haven’t seen you in AGES! Nor you, Doctor.” She winked at him as he struggled to remember her name. The flirty one. Francine? Francesca? Franny?

“Well, we’ve been here and there, keeping busy, you know,” he fumbled, trying to find the quickest route out.

“Now. You’ll forgive me if I’m wrong. Did I hear…?” She looked back and forth between Rose and the Doctor significantly, with eyebrows raised as if communicating in some secret code.

“What have you heard?” Rose inquired, mind running with possibilities of what the tabloids were reporting about her now.

“Just that someone’s expecting a very special delivery?”

“Mrs. Brown, apparently,” Rose affirmed. “Helen here was just telling me about it.”

“Noooo! Seriously?” the flirty one gasped and looked to Helen for confirmation before returning to her point. “Actually, darling, I meant you two? No?”

“Sorry, not us,” Rose clarified. “Not yet anyway.”

“Oh, so sorry, dearie,” Helen placed a hand on Rose’s arm in sympathy. “Here I’ve been teasing you about it.”

The Doctor wasn’t sure what was worse: the heartache Rose was unintentionally projecting through their bond, the women’s earlier meddling or the current pity on both of their motherly faces.

“C’mon,” he urged, plastering on an excited smile. “Game’s about to begin! Don’t want to miss out.”

She returned his smile and gathered the energy to bound up the steps with him toward her waiting parents.

Just when she thought she was safe, however, her mother handed her a trashy celebrity magazine, the kind whose stories were more likely to be all-out fiction than fact.

“Page 8,” Jackie muttered just before the game started. “You aren’t going to like it, but just in case someone comes up to you about it, I thought you should know.”

The little blurb next to a series of candid photos of herself made Rose sick.

“Vitex Princess’s Tragic Love Story: 4 miscarriages later, hubby tells heiress goodbye.” The headline was ridiculous enough, but the way the photos seemed to illustrate her “tragedy” was the sucker punch in the gut. Four of their previously published “Is Rose Tyler pregnant?!” photos with circles strategically placed over her loose jumper or thick coat seemed to highlight their theory. Then a series of spectacularly poorly timed (or well-timed, from the photographer’s point of view) images told the visual story of public evidence of their impending divorce. The Doctor disgruntled about photographers suddenly popping up after months of relative silence was captioned “Unhappy wife, unhappy life” and one unfortunate shot of an actual public argument (though now Rose couldn’t even remember what it had been about) surrounded a dramatic shot of her with her phone to her ear and a distraught look on her face. Never mind that it was actually the fifth alien attack of the week and it was the Doctor she was on the phone with, not her mum as the caption suggested.

“Don’t worry, love,” Jackie reassured her daughter. “No one takes these rags seriously. ‘Sides, you two will be at the gala next week, yes? Everyone will see you together then and the whole story’s in shambles.”

Rose nodded and pinched the bridge of her nose as a headache formed. Couldn’t she go out in public anymore without being tracked by photographers and bombarded with nosy questions?

“Rose?” Jackie asked, scooting closer to her on the bench as cheers rang out around them. “This is useless rubbish, right?”

“Of course.”

“You’d tell me if something was… wrong?”

Rose stared at her in puzzlement.

“We’re fine, you know that.” Rose wondered at her mum’s doubt and tilted her head up toward their husbands, who were standing next to them, discussing a good play.

“Oh! I know you two are just as crazy about each other as ever. Plenty of proof of that, way you’re always so close together. Are you two ever not touching? You’d think you were attached at the hand some days.”

Not caring to re-explain that their telepathic bond was stronger when they were touching, Rose gave her mum the small smile she was fishing for.

“I meant,” Jackie continued, more seriously, “if you’d been through something like that – losing a baby, even early on – you’d tell me? That isn’t why you two haven’t…?”

“No,” Rose assured her. “I mean, yes, we would tell you. No, nothing like that’s happened. We don’t even know if we can.”

“Sure it’s not just all the travelin’? I know you’d said before being in the time circuit or whatever can mess with a woman’s body. Goodness knows it’s not from lack of trying, gathering from the way you two act in public.”

“Mum!” Rose sat up, hushing her. “It’s the time _vortex_ , and not in public, please!”

“Is it because you don’t want people thinking you live on a spaceship shaped like a phone box or because you don’t want to talk about your-”

“Both!” Rose cut her off frantically. “You know we can’t talk about the TARDIS like that.”

“I know, I’m only teasin’ you.”

“Sorry, I guess it’s just been a rough morning. Another negative test first thing off, then everybody’s questions and this…” She held up the magazine to throw it down, but the Doctor caught it from her hand as she lifted it.

“What’s this? Not my best photo, I have to say,” he observed.

“Sit down,” Rose sighed, pulling on his arm.

The Doctor whistled as he sank down.

“Oi. We’ve had it before but _this_. This is a new low for them. I’m so sorry, love.” He rubbed her back distractedly as he took all the photos in.

“Worst of it is, I’m not pregnant in any of those photos. Not one of ‘em.” She bit back a humorless laugh. “Guess I need to lay off on the chips, eh?”

“Rose. You can’t let them get to you like that,” he reproached. “You’re perfect just as you are.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so, at least.”

“What’s that?” Pete leaned down, noticing his family was in a discussion without him.

“I’ll tell you later,” Jackie promised.

Pete glanced back and forth between his daughter and son-in-law who were clutching a magazine.

“This about the baby thing again?” Pete asked Rose, never one to miss a hint.

She smiled meekly and shrugged. The Doctor put his arm around her and squeezed in encouragement. Neither seemed to be enjoying the game and, judging from the way things were going, Tony wouldn’t be playing in the second half.

“Why don’t you two head back? We can tell Tony you stopped by,” Pete suggested.

“Go on,” Jackie encouraged.

The Doctor inclined his head to Rose to indicate it was up to her.

“Yeah, ok,” she gave in. “We have some things to talk about anyway. Tell Tony he did great.”

No one had the heart to tell her little skinny Tony had barely played against the bigger, rougher boys from across town.

Rose violently tossed the magazine in a rubbish bin as they reached the parking lot, but otherwise remained calm until they got in the car. She waited until they were driving away from watchful eyes before covering her face with her hands in frustration.

“What’s so interesting about our lives, anyway?” she finally burst out.

“Well…” The Doctor began, not quite knowing how to answer.

“I mean, not our actual lives with the time machine and other universe and all that. Our fake lives. The ones people here think we live. I mean, tons of crazy alien stuff happened right before and after all those photos. We saved the world so many times and no one can know, but they don’t even care! They just want to know if my shirt sticks out or if we look happy or…”

“Maybe that’s just it. Maybe they know their readers will spend money to see if we are happy.”

“I don’t know… seems like they enjoy us being miserable a little too much.”

“But their readers will pay to read about our lives because they need to see you’re ok.”

“Why would they care, anyway?”

“Because if the Vitex heiress isn’t, what hope is there for the rest of them, living their ordinary unimportant lives?”

“Someone very clever once said no one was unimportant.”

“They aren’t,” he agreed with her reference to his past self. “Just see themselves that way. But look at you. Perfect life, everything they want.”

“Except for one thing,” she finished the thought for him. “No storks on our doorstep.”

“Exactly.”

“Doctor, there’s something else,” she confessed as they pulled onto their street. “Will it always be like this?”

“With the photographers and gossip? Probably so. At least from time to time.”

“I think so too,” she mourned. “Even if and when we do have kids, that’ll be their new target. Everywhere we go.”

“I’ve been thinking about asking you this anyway, but what would you say – and it’s ok to say no. I know you like the flat. It was yours first, after all – but maybe we could go looking for somewhere a little more private, away from the city?”

“I’d like that.” She smiled her first genuine smile of the day. “We could keep the TARDIS outside there where she’d have more room to breathe.”

“You mean, where she wouldn’t take up so much room in the flat,” he chuckled.

“Ok, maybe that too, but you know she’s better when she’s not cramped up like this.”

“You’re right. House-hunting it is then.”

They pulled into their current building’s parking garage as their worries about paparazzi and pregnancy faded into dreams of their new secret haven. They would disagree about many features of said house in the coming months but one thing always remained consistent: a decently sized garden for a certain blue police box was a must-have. And a room for a nursery. Just in case fate was kind.


	4. The TARDIS Voices Her Opinion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For everyone who loves a good sentient machine interjecting her opinion.

“Ok, I get it,” Rose told the TARDIS as she flipped through her side of the wardrobe room. The ship was still quite young and had a bit of a sassy attitude. Today she had taken to supplying Rose with maternity clothes.

“Listen,” Rose sternly placed her hands on her hips, scolding the sentient machine. “I’m not pregnant yet. Even if I were, it would be months before I would need these.”

She turned back to the clothing rack. “They are cute, and you are welcome to save them for later, but today I need a dress for high tea in 1915.”

The machine hummed back, communicating to Rose via their telepathic link something like “Alright, alright. Have it your way.”

“Aha!” She pulled a dress out she hadn’t seen a minute ago. She stood in front of the floor-length mirror and held it up to her body, checking to make sure the color went with her hair and skin tone.

The machine buzzed happily, then whirred. Rose set the dress down on the chair next to the mirror and sighed. Her hands smoothed her shirt, examining her flat stomach in her reflection.

The TARDIS blinked the lights and started playing “Rock A Bye Baby”

“Oi!” Rose scowled, recognizing the tune. 

The Doctor stepped into the room in plenty of time to hear her the song before the TARDIS cut it off, caught metaphorically red-handed.

“You know, music-wise, not what I would pick for 1915," he teased. "If you really want to get into the mood I can offer a few suggestions.”

“Oh, I’m gettin’ in a mood alright.” She kept an eye on the ceiling, in reference to the ship.

He raised a suggestive eyebrow and wet his lips.

“Really… weeeellll, we do have a time machine. We can come back to 1915 later if you…”

Rose rolled her eyes. “So not what I meant. I meant that this ship - ” she popped the P for emphasis “- of yours is stressing me out with songs and maternity clothes and reminders about my age and did you know she left a pregnancy test out on the counter for me in the loo? She’s worse than Mum!”

“Did you…?”

“Negative,” Rose huffed. “Nothin’ yet.”

“Ah. Well.” He moved on quickly to a lighter tone, “First off, _my_ ship? Who’s the one chatting with a great big traveling box, hmm? And secondly, your age? But you're so young!” He turned to address the TARDIS. “That is quite rude, you know.”

The machine made an apologetic sound. Rose ignored it and focused on her husband instead.

“Our ship seems to be telepathically feeding off our plans,” she explained before softening her tone. “Doctor, you know I want this more than anyone but you - and apparently this barmy machine - but I just can’t let myself worry about it or I’ll never stop. What if there is something wrong? What if we can’t?”

“Shhh, no, no.” He drew her close and stroked her back. “It will happen. Just like you said, it hasn’t even been a year. We’ve got a long way to go before we give up.”

She nuzzled into his chest in response.

“Do you want me to take a look at our genetics?” he offered. “I was going to wait to suggest it, but if you are worried, I can run a few tests.”

She pulled away slightly to read him as she considered it. She felt out the truth with their bond. The eager scientist in him was holding back behind the compassionate husband, waiting until she was ready.

“Alright. After 1915, we can do genetic testing that won’t be invented in our home time period for another hundred years.”

“Ah, I love time travel,” he laughed and stepped back, but didn’t let go of her hand. “TARDIS, how about a soundtrack more appropriate to our destination?”

As the music began, he gave Rose a small bow. “M’lady, may I have this dance?”

“Certainly, kind gentleman,” she responded, playing along with his formality. “Anything for the Lord of Time.”

“You know what that makes you then?” He led their steps gently, but firmly. “Lady of Time! Countess of the Stars! Princess of the Planets!”

He twirled her until she giggled and stumbled back into his arms. He leaned in close.

“And queen of my heart.”

Her breath hitched, though more at the lust in his eyes and gravelly depth of his voice than his cheesy words, and he knew his wooing had been successful.

“Love you, my crazy alien-man,” she mumbled before their lips met. He traced his thumb down the side of her cheek before he backed away. The TARDIS creaked.

“15 minutes! Lovely dress, by the way,” he called as he dashed out the door to attend to the controls.

“Wait ‘till you see me in it!” she teased.

“Also looking forward to seeing you out of it.” He peeked back in the door and winked.

Rose shook her head at his shameless flirting but her tongue-tipped grin betrayed her.


	5. The Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose seek the help of a healing scientist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was as much as surprise to me as I hope it will be to you. :) Hang on because there is fun fluff coming. (I promise!) Also - I don't claim to be an expert in genetics or the medical field. Hope it makes sense anyway.

  
  
The Doctor slouched over his calculations and lab results.   
  
Something was wrong. He and Rose were a perfect fit genetically. Everything seemed to be in working order. Better than, actually. On the screen in front of him, he could see her gold Bad Wolf-altered DNA that allowed her their telepathic bond; his silver Time Lord remnants that allowed him to form it in the first place. By textbook standards, they should have trouble _preventing_ pregnancy. But for some reason, they didn’t seem to recognize each other as halves of a potential whole. Just one more way either her humanity or his lack thereof worked against them, perhaps?  
  
As hard as he tried to fix it himself, he knew where they needed to go. He recognized his pride — that of a man attempting to prove himself as a father. To prove he could _be_ a father. He had massively failed the first time, hundreds of years ago. But surely that’s what this metacrisis life was about? Second chances?  
  
Before he let his old anger at the universe and the grief for all he had lost take over, he reminded himself he wasn’t in that universe anymore. He was here with Rose. In a dimension where they had rescued and returned a certain healing scientist to his home planet. And the gruff old alien would know what to do.  
  
“How’s it coming along then?” Rose asked from behind him.  
  
“Oh, hello. Back already? No shopping bags?”  
  
“Yeah, Mum found what she needed at the first couple of shops and I wasn’t really interested in buying anything so…”  
  
“Why not?” He had never known Rose to come home empty-handed from a girls’ day with her mum. Even if she didn’t want anything, she was usually the victim of her mother’s insistence.  
  
Rose shrugged and sat on his desk, but as her hand connected with his, he received a picture of shop after shop of tiny pink and blue clothing. He interlocked their fingers and rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand.  
  
“To answer your question,” he continued with a sigh. “No, I haven’t found an answer or a cause. We’re both quite incredible, actually.” The corners of her lips turned up at his frank assessment. “But I think I know where we need to go.”

* * *

  
  
And that was how Rose Tyler found herself in another galaxy’s version of a full-body scanner.  
  
“So this does what, exactly?” she asked the purple-skinned nurse. “I mean, I know it’s something to do with… um… fertility, but…”  
  
The nurse smiled warmly and turned a calming shade of lavender. “It is to check for variants from normal human results. We know about your enhanced DNA, but Dr. Xuu does not find it problematic, considering your husband’s equally extraordinary genetics. Dr. Xuu does wonder if there is more to be found, however.”  
  
“Alright, then. Allons-y.”  
  
The nurse pushed the flat surface Rose was lying on into the machine. The cylinder around her whirred and blinked to life, then emitted a noise similar to an Earth MRI.  
  
The smooth silver surface reflected her apprehension back at her. No way was she going to lie there watching herself worry the entire time. She tried to relax and closed her eyes. She pictured herself with the Doctor at their favorite park near their new home. They had found a nice, quiet house away from the madness of the city, but convenient enough for commuting. Talk of their mysterious lifestyle made the neighborhood a little less quiet but no less nice, so they had taken to wandering. While exploring, they had come across a brook - one with a rubber duck making his merry way down the stream. This had led to retracing the duck’s watery path to a clump of trees, beyond which dogs barked, children laughed, mothers scolded and fathers pushed squeaky swings higher and higher.  
  
It had been bit a like discovering a hidden world in your own home. Or, very nearly. A kilometer away from your own home.

Rose and the Doctor had returned several times after and found the perfect little patch of grass near the brook. Their spot. It was far enough away from the playground that they didn’t attract attention, but close enough they could still hear humans were nearby.   
  
The machine beeped and its lights changed direction. For a second, she thought it might be over, but the noise didn’t stop.  
  
Rose sighed and closed her eyes again, trying to get back the mental image of the park. This time, however, something else was with them. It dashed about, dropping something in her lap and running away to find more. She squeezed her eyes tighter, trying to solidify the imagined figure. Her lap was full of clover and daisies. The blur of motion collided into her. Rose gasped as she stared at a miniature version of herself with the Doctor’s eyes. The little girl beamed and hopped away, vanishing as the vision blurred into white light.  
  
“Rose?” The Doctor’s voice sounded from above her. He had lifted the lid of the machine, and was studying her with concern. “All done, love. My turn now.”  
  
She exhaled and sat up, rubbing at her eyes. They were wet. The Doctor saw the motion and furrowed his brow.  
  
“What’s wrong? It didn’t hurt, did it?”  
  
“No!” She let out a little laugh. “I saw… I was only imagining, though.”  
  
“Tell me?”  
  
Rose glanced to the window where the nurse and Dr. Xuu were busy resetting the controls.  
  
“I was picturing us at the park, yeah? And there was this girl with us. Just a toddler. She was dropping flowers in my lap. Doctor, it was our daughter. It had to be. Looked just like us.”  
  
He didn’t say anything, but squeezed her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.  
  
“Like I said, it was just my imagination making her up… but kinda makes all this worth it, huh? All the needles and scans and waiting?”  
  
“Yeah, it does.”  
  
Dr. Xuu opened the door and cleared his throat.  
  
“Sorry, Mrs. Tyler. We’ll need you to step out here to the waiting area.”  
  
The Doctor nodded to Rose and she let go of him, following the healer out of the room. The nurse pulled her aside and smiled reassuringly.  
  
“You should know, Mrs. Tyler, Dr. Xuu has a theory. If your husband’s scans show the same variant as yours, and it is suspected they will, we have a way to help. I cannot say anymore. I have already said too much.”  
  
The nurse covered her mouth and winked. Rose thanked her and sank into one of the waiting room's few empty chairs. Never one for waiting patiently herself, she wondered how the Doctor had survived the entire time she’d been in the machine. That is, until she observed an orange elderly couple examining their hearing aids and replacing them in their ears with wonder and excitement.  
  
Rose shook her head. Give her part-Time Lord a sonic screwdriver and a problem in need of fixing and he would change someone’s world for the better. It was so him, no matter which body or universe. Yet, he had changed too. The fact that they were asking for help, that he had surrendered his most personal hope to a greater expert than he, was proof enough that this Doctor understood his vulnerabilities. Recognizing how far he had come, she thought him braver than ever.  
  
So when the nurse called her back and she saw him pacing the tiny hallway, instead of teasing him about his nervous energy, she walked directly to him, tugged gently on his arm and pulled him into the exam room. The nurse assured them the healer would be right with them and shut the door. At the click, Rose kissed away his anxiety.  
  
“That was for being brave," she explained when she pulled away. "And for asking for help for us. And for the hearing aids.”  
  
“Wha?”  
  
“The couple in the waiting area.”  
  
“Oh. Always happy to help, that’s me.”  
  
“That’s you,” she echoed. She hopped up on the edge of the exam table and he followed. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close in silence until Dr. Xuu entered with their charts.  
  
“Well. I’ll get right to it,” the old healer began, taking a seat on a rolling stool across from them. “Good news is, we know what’s causing your infertility. And we just might be able to remove that barrier. Bad news is, I still can’t guarantee success.”  
  
“We wouldn’t expect you to,” the Doctor assured him. “We know we are a bit… complicated. That’s why it had to be you, after all.”  
  
“Yes,” Dr. Xuu chuckled lightly. “21st century Earth doctors wouldn’t exactly be of much help to you would they?”  
  
“Not a bit,” Rose confirmed with a squeeze to the Doctor’s hand and a nervous smile for the healer.  
  
“What…” The Doctor swallowed before asking the crucial question. “What is it that’s causing it? You said you can remove it?”  
  
“Hmm. Some would say the whole concept is just a theory, but you two know better than to discount legends. I believe there are traces of the void — the space between dimensions — in your biology. I can see both of you have made a transdimensional jump, in the last 10 years at the most?”  
  
The Doctor was speechless for a moment. Of course. That’s what he had seen in their results. How had it never occurred to him with all the problems “void stuff” had caused them in the past? If it weren’t for void stuff… He registered that Rose was speaking.  
  
“So how do we get rid of it? We can’t go back. It’s impossible to cross the void now.”  
  
“This is the part you might not enjoy,” Dr. Xuu grimaced. “It involves a series of treatments, only three each, but they are… unpleasant.”  
  
“How do you even have this kind of technology?” the Doctor questioned. “Or know anything about the void? Did it crack here?”  
  
“Oh, yes! Did you not know, Doctor? Our planet was quite suddenly filled with immigrants from the other universe. They fell through a crack into our largest sea. The rescue operation took ages, poor souls. I treated them, mostly for shock and water trauma, but studied their kind. They were like us in many ways, but sterile. Or they seemed to be. My lab partners and I studied their biology and found it was identical to ours in all but one way. They had been through the void. This was more than a decade ago, but we eventually found a way to remove the remnant of the void from their bodies.”  
  
“Is it safe?” Rose asked. “The people, did it work?”  
  
Dr. Xuu gave a quick nod. “As I said, it was a long decade. Not without a few close calls in the beginning. And much illness in the first few trials. But we have perfected it many years since and, besides the difficulties of enduring the actual procedure, it is harmless. It has been a great success, if I do say so myself.”  
  
“It’s going to hurt,” she confirmed, “but only as much as it is supposed to?”  
  
“That’s right.”  
  
“Then I’m in. Doctor?”  
  
As much as he wanted a child with Rose, his hesitancy to put her in pain voluntarily played across his face.  
  
_“Seriously?”_ Rose used their bond to communicate. _“We’re talking about gettin’ me pregnant here. Not exactly a pain-free experience. Especially the end.”_ She raised an eyebrow in emphasis.  
  
“Allons-y,” he murmured to her. To Dr. Xuu he brightly asked, “When do we start?”

* * *

  
  
The procedure consisted of electrode-like wires with stickers, designed to drain out the void stuff, bounce the energy off a series of mirrors into a filter, and from there, draw it into an impressive-looking container. The Doctor wasn’t entirely sure it was strong enough to hold all the void stuff they had to offer, especially since Rose had jumped across dimensions for so long trying to find him, but he was willing to bet they had plenty floating in the air here anyway.  
  
“You’ll need to stay here for the week,” the now-royal-purple nurse explained with authority. “Not here in the research facility, but here in the city. We can recommend hotels if you like.”  
  
“No, that’s alright,” Rose answered. “You’re very kind, but we can stay on our ship. It’s quite comfortable.”  
  
“I’ll move the TARDIS closer while you fill out the paperwork,” the Doctor suggested. Rose knew exactly why he was skipping out at this particular moment, having seen the stack on his desk at Torchwood.  
  
Rose grabbed the clipboard and began writing. He took that as affirmation and bolted out of the office.  
  
By the time they were ready to begin with her first treatment, the paperwork was complete, but the Doctor was still gone. She pulled out her superphone. No missed calls or texts.   
  
“They are ready for us. Where are you?” she texted him.  
  
“I’ll be right there! Just give me a second. Well, more than a second. I may have parked illegally and now be paying a hefty fine not to be arrested.”  
  
“Blimey” was all she sent back but both knew there was an implied eye roll at his driving skills and disregard for rules attached.  
  
Half an hour later, Rose was glad he hadn’t been there to witness the procedure. She had experienced gentler torture from enemy agents. The electrodes were placed over her hips, “targeting the affected area,” the nurse had explained. Rose took this to mean, “We don’t need your entire body free of void stuff. Just the important bits.” Which was fine with her as it felt like the wires were trying to pull her ovaries through her skin. Probably several other organs as well. Lavender hands soothed her arms and an alien song filled her ears as the nurse did her best to keep Rose from panicking. Panic and too many stress hormones would reduce the effectiveness. As would medication, unfortunately. So Rose used all her training as a field agent to erect mental barriers against the fire ripping through her lower core. Still, hot tears poured unrestrained down her cheeks as she lay as still as possible on the treatment bed.  
  
“Rest now,” the nurse instructed softly. Rose realized the electrodes had been removed and the pain was fading. She fought sleep, wanting to see the Doctor with all of her heart, but she lost to the exhaustion overwhelming her.  


* * *

  
What felt like ages later, she stirred in her hospital bed and sensed a presence at her side. She squeezed her eyes open and closed as her vision took its time to focus.  
  
“Where’s the Doctor?” she slurred. “Please. Get my… need my husband.”  
  
“Glad to hear it,” a smug male voice murmured into her ear. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m so sorry, love.”  
  
“It’s worth it.”  
  
“It bloody better be.” His voice broke, confirming her suspicions. She knew him too well to be fooled by his original smooth tone. He stroked her hair and searched her for any sign of lingering pain. “We don’t have to do any more if you don’t want to. If it’s too much, we can go home tomorrow.”  
  
“No,” she mumbled. She pushed herself up to sitting, still leaning heavily on the pillows. The Doctor handed her a white pill and a glass of water.  
  
“Dr. Xuu said the next two should be easier, but he still wants us to alternate days. I get to start tomorrow and it’s your turn to take care of me.” He winked to cover his relief at the pink coming back into her pale cheeks.  
  
“So by next week…”  
  
“We’ll be ready to start trying. For real this time.”  
  
“Don’t tell Mum. Or the TARDIS. She’ll have a nursery ready by the time we get back.”  
  
“Which one?”  
  
“Either. Both.” Rose half-joked, half-warned him.  
  
“Speaking of returning to the TARDIS, we need to get you something to eat to get your energy up.”  
  
“I think I’m ready,” she answered his implied question.  
  
He helped her stand and caught her as she tried to walk too soon.  
  
“Steady now,” he encouraged from behind, hands on her hips.  
  
“Better?”  
  
“Almost.”  
  
She placed her hands over his and leaned back into him. He felt her dizziness and understood what she was doing. He kissed her neck as he sent her the strength she needed through their bond. It was such a metaphor for their relationship: when one needed, the other gave in a way only they could share. And it turned out to be a literal reality for their week as they took turns removing the void stuff from their bodies and using their bond to restore each other.

 

 


	6. Most Potent Potions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose get a well-deserved (strongly Teen) night on the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After so much heartache so far, I hope you enjoy this little sexy fluff.

The Doctor and Rose survived the week. Dr. Xuu was correct in that the pain was much less intense after the first round, but the couple still left the research center exhausted and very ready to forget why. They stayed on the planet a few more days, sleeping off the remaining effects of the treatment and being lazy around the TARDIS. When they were fully healed, however, the Doctor suggested a night out.

“Like a date?” Rose asked, looking up from her book.

“Not just LIKE a date,” he scoffed. “When a man takes his wife out for a night on the town, it is most certainly a date.”

“And what exactly constitutes a night on the town here?”

“Like anywhere else, I suppose. The local guidebook says there is a nightclub that qualifies as ‘can’t miss.’ And before that, it lists a restaurant I think you'll enjoy.”

“Guidebook?! Since when have you been one to read a guidebook?”

The Doctor sighed as if recounting a tale of woe.

“I was quite bored for over a week stuck in a body that very much wants to go into a healing coma but doesn’t have the ability to accomplish it.”

“Ah. Yet another case of Time Lord mind versus human body?”

“There’s a reason we aren’t naturally loomed into this state, you know.”

“Naturally loomed,” Rose repeated, shaking her head. “There are so many things I will never understand about Gallifreyan women. I mean, I get that our way isn’t exactly that easy, but to choose not to carry your own child? It’s so hard for me to imagine.”

“Just one night,” he interrupted, returning to the question of their date. “One night of forgetting about treatments and procedures and tests. Even babies. Only you and me and a new city to explore.”

“We could certainly use some old fashioned exploring,” Rose affirmed.

“Good,” he exhaled his relief. “There is a surprise for you in the wardrobe room.”

She popped up immediately, but collected herself, trying not to appear too eager. She needed to learn patience if she was going to be a mum, after all.

“Do we need to make reservations?” she asked as she attempted a nonchalant exit.

“At 7, local time. Does Florigianese sound good?”

“That the one with the mangos in everything?”

“Pineapple. And not in _everything_. Just what you ordered.”

“That’s right. It was summer. Pineapple in stir-fry sounded perfect. Just didn’t expect it to be in the soup, drinks and dessert as well.”

“Our tongues were tingling by the end of the meal,” he remembered. “I doubt this will be that authentic so far from its home planet. Probably more of a fusion with the local cuisine.”

“Posh?”

“Maybe a bit. Go,” he urged, remembering why she was standing in the doorway. “You’ll see.”

A minute later in the wardrobe room, Rose raised an eyebrow as she saw the sexy black dress he had picked out. She’d never seen it in here before when she’d looked for something of the sort. She read the note next to her still-classy-but-pushing-it little surprise.

“Wanted to get you something special. You deserve it after everything we’ve been through this week. Hope you’ll forgive me for slipping away while you slept to pick it up. ;) Love, Me”

Though, as he predicted, she wasn’t entirely happy he’d left without telling her and was very grateful she hadn’t woken up to find him gone, her heart swelled with love for him. In fact… the sentiment was so sweet it almost made her suspicious. Though any other young wife would have taken it at face value, Rose knew him better than that and it broke her heart a little. Guilt. He felt guilty for the pain he watched her endure. It was his idea to bring them here, he would say. Well, she would just have to show him there was nothing to feel guilty about. She was perfectly fine now, thank you very much. Better than fine. They were a giant leap forward on their way to starting a family.

She twisted her hair in an up-do she had learned from a 76th century princess, letting a loose golden curl fall just so. Gold and diamond studded hoops hung around her wrists and from her earlobes, contrasting perfectly with the dress. She grabbed a matching shawl in case it was colder in the evenings than would be comfortable without sleeves. Or with such a low neckline. The man certainly knew how to get what he liked, not that she was complaining. He deserved a special night as much as she did and her pulse quickened just thinking of how she was going to reward him.

The fusion restaurant was indeed posh, too much so for them, so they finished their meal quickly and made their way to the “can’t miss” nightclub. Rose took in the atmosphere. Colors swirled all around, from the skin of the people to the lights to the drinks, reflected off the disco ball and the shiny silver ceiling. It was loud, but not uncomfortably so. The music was unfamiliar, but that was to be expected so far from home.

The Doctor peered over the crowd to find empty stools at the bar. He took her hand and they fought their way through. The drink menu sounded surprisingly familiar, but several had ingredients Rose didn’t recognize along with the more common flavors.

“Mmm, strawberry, pineapple, passion fruit…” she read. “For a passionate evening with your true love.”

“What’s that?” the Doctor laughed.

“Love Potion No. 9.”

“Naturally.”

“No matter what galaxy, the passion fruit puns never end.”

“As if a fruit could make you fall in love.” The Doctor shook his head at the superstition.

“Well, I’m already in love, so I figure it’s a go either way,” Rose pointed out, earning herself a wave of desire sent through their bond from a grinning Doctor. “How about you? What are you drinking tonight?”

“Hm. They have a local rum that’s rumored to be top banana.”

“Read that in the guidebook, did you?”

“Maybe I did,” he sniffed. “They were right about the restaurant though, weren’t they? And while it remains to be seen how mandatory this club will be to our evening, it appears to be widely regarded as a popular destination.”

They ordered and were enjoying their respective drinks in no time. After their first round, Rose pulled the Doctor to the dance floor. The alcohol combined powerfully with their cabin fever from their days recovering on the TARDIS and the relief that their week of physical agony was over. The Doctor felt freer than he had in centuries. Rose found it incredibly attractive and made sure he knew it from the way she danced for him.

After a few songs, they took a break for round two of the same drinks. A bachelor party ordered shots for everyone in the house and it would have been rude of them to refuse. Sometime around then, the Doctor teased her for enjoying her “love potion” so much. She slapped lightly at his chest and her brain registered that she was sitting in his lap. When had that happened? He stole her glass and took a sip. A large sip.

“Mmm!” he approved with another gulp. “That is one delightful…” He licked his lips and Rose couldn’t fight it any longer. She kissed him until he almost fell off the chair. His tongue brushed hers briefly before he backed away and his eyes widened. He took a final quick swig of her drink.

“Rose.”

“Yes, Doctor?” she purred and bit her lip. She noted it was getting far too hot and wondered if she should unbutton his shirt for him.

“I know what this is. I was wrong.”

“The rum isn’t really top banana?”

“Oh it is and, Rassilon, do I feel it. But yours is even stronger… in a different way.”

“A better way?” She wasn’t entirely sure what she was saying anymore. Anything to get him to shut up and kiss her again.

The Doctor let out a nervous laugh at her question and simply said, “TARDIS. Now.”

No matter what kind of trouble they found themselves in, she had learned to follow that request unquestioningly. Everything else was up for debate. But those two words meant something was very wrong.

Or very right. At least, when they said them with a certain look, a hand on the other’s thigh, a lingering kiss…

She nodded and followed him out with a little skip of anticipation. Maybe this was one of the very deliciously good dashes to their ship. It had been, well, awhile. She couldn’t exactly remember with her head all fuzzy like this, but at least before they arrived on this planet.

The cold night air blasted them as they stepped out of the sweaty nightclub, making Rose gasp as she sobered a bit.

“Doctor? What’s wrong?” she questioned him as they walked, sensing his urgency and concern.

“That was no mere passion fruit beverage, Rose. It wasn’t a pun. It was just as it said on the tin.”

“What?” She tried to concentrate on his words rather than wanting to run her fingers through his hair.

“It was a love potion. Not just a name. Real, true, genuine-”

“Aphrodisiac?” she supplied. The sensation consuming her made a lot more sense, even to her foggy mind.

The Doctor squeezed her hand in confirmation, but kept his gaze set straight ahead.

Rose took her time thinking it over until they reached the TARDIS console room. Given the circumstances, she couldn’t find any reason for objection and wondered at his stoic posture.

“You know,” she began with a brush of her fingertips up his arm. “I honestly don’t see a problem here.”

“You were drugged with an aphrodisiac and you don’t see a problem?”

She shrugged.

“Like I said when I ordered it, night was going to end the same either way.”

He stared at her for a long minute, pupils dilated and breathing visibly shallow in the green light of the time rotor. Unlike her, he was fighting the effects of the drink(s) in the name of chivalry or her honor or something noble, she could tell.

She took the initiative once more and covered his parted lips with her own. He responded at once, taking control of the kiss and backing her against a coral strut.

“You’re sure you’re ok with this?” he panted, hands roaming.

“God, yes.”

She brushed her fingers across his temple so he could sense through their bond that it was really her talking, not the love potion.

“Good," his voice rumbled in her ear. "Because I drank just enough of it to make this interesting for both of us.”

“I’m sure the rum and shots didn’t hurt either.” Rose grinned wickedly and pushed his dinner jacket from his shoulders.

“Bedroom?” he asked with a suggestively raised eyebrow.

“Bedroom.”

Passion fruit for a passionate evening indeed.


	7. Taking the Test(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little over a month later ;)

Rose paced their bedroom on the TARDIS. She knew they had equipment in the infirmary that could tell her what she needed to know much faster, but she couldn’t risk getting him excited just in case… It wasn’t the first test like this she had taken, after all. She vividly recalled the time he had seen the box on the counter in their flat and thought she had left it there on purpose as a hint. Oh, it had been so hard to watch his joy retreat into nonchalance, as if it didn’t really matter and he wasn’t mentally kicking himself for jumping to conclusions. 

This time, just to be extra sure, she had taken three at once. All different brands. Dr. Xuu’s nurse had been quite generous and sent them away with a variety.

She faced her reflection in the vanity over her dresser. Her hands ran over her stomach. Was it legitimately more curved or was it her wishing it into being? Were her jeans tighter from a fulfilled dream or was it just too many desserts they had been eating in their travels? Their lives involved significantly less running of late as they worked just enough for Torchwood to pay for their expenses and the TARDIS had been taking them to relatively quiet places. Romantic places. The ship didn’t take any unnecessary risks when it came to family planning, apparently. 

She checked the clock right as a timer in the en suite went off. The soft “beep beep” was just loud enough so she could hear it without alerting anyone else (*ahem) to activity in the area. Rose, of course, hadn’t set an alarm. 

“I get it, thanks,” Rose told the TARDIS, who promptly stopped beeping. 

She nervously stepped up to the counter. As many times as she had done this before, this time she was more certain it was necessary than ever. She had all the classic symptoms, not just a day of food poisoning or a particularly emotional week or being late due to time travel messing with her cycle. 

The first test was angled just right so that she saw it in the mirror first. There was definitely a plus sign on that stick. Her heart pounded as she caught the reflection of two solid stripes on the next. She held her breath as she checked the third in front of her. Her hands shook as she held it up. 

“YES” it read. Dumbstruck, she picked up the box in her other hand. “ARE YOU PREGNANT?” it asked in bold letters. 

Evidently, she was. 

Rose set down the test and stumbled backwards to lean against the wall. Her chest heaved and a sob escaped her lips. Hot tears danced down her cheeks. 

A year. They had been trying exactly a year. First it was two months of casual “if it happens,” followed by “give it time,” followed by nagging from both her mother and the TARDIS, tabloids and gossip, an intensely painful procedure to remove their void stuff, followed by over another month of waiting. Even before they were trying, she had watched her husband’s wishful longing as she tucked Tony into bed on babysitting nights, joked about their freedom as other couples pushed prams around the park, tried not to get jealous as her friends and co-workers showed off photos of tiny bundles of joy. 

She knew they were lucky though. Many of those friends and co-workers had had to wait much longer. But the wait was over. She double and triple checked the results of all three tests. She blinked. It wasn’t a dream. 

The Doctor’s footsteps sounded in the hallway. Normally she wouldn’t be able to hear them so clearly in here, but she assumed the TARDIS was amplifying them for her benefit. The old romantic hunk of metal and wood. Rose gathered the tests and their boxes and hid them in the cabinet below the sink just as he entered their bedroom. She came out to meet him, hoping he wouldn’t question what she had been up to. 

“Aaalll recalibrated and ready for any time and place your heart desires, m’lady!” 

The buoyant energy of accomplishment drained as he saw her. She internally checked to make sure she was giving him a normal smile. Did she have mascara all over her face? There was no time to check, however, as he was in front of her in a single heartbeat, embracing her the next, then wiping away the tears she hadn’t realized she was still crying. 

“What is it, love?” he soothed. 

She broke into a full grin now. Oh, how could she withhold such news from him just for a cute story to tell later? She had planned to write him a letter and put it in a baby bottle or surprise him with a funny onesie or a cake that said “Congrats, Dad!” or something equally memorable. But the love and worry and affection in his dark brown eyes overpowered all of that sentimentality. She opened her mouth to tell him, but instead, she let out a little laugh. Soon she was giggling uncontrollably. He joined her, unsure if it was a joke at his expense or if his wife had finally lost it completely. He had driven her mad. That was bound to happen eventually, the papers would say. 

She calmed her breathing and regained her senses enough to lead him to sit on their bed. She caught her reflection in the vanity as she did so. The same one she had stood in front of just minutes ago, smoothing her hands over her middle. It hadn’t been lying before. And now she had wet salty streaks down her cheeks and a secret on her lips. Suddenly the reality of her news set in. She was about to change both of their lives forever. 

He sat on the bed at her prompting. She stood in front of him, wanting to see his face. She cupped his cheek in her palm and the tears began anew. 

“Rose?” His voice was strained with worry and emotion, just feeling the intensity of her current state through their bond. He didn’t want to pry into her mind, but he wasn’t above it if he got much more desperate. 

“We’re, I’m…” she began, voice shaky. “Doctor, I’m pregnant.”

His desperation turned into a wide grin. The next few moments blurred as he stood, she threw her arms around his neck, his lips crashed into hers, and she found she wasn’t the only one crying tears of joy now. 

They simply held each other for a long time, letting their joy mingle through their bond, before she leaned back in his embrace. 

“So I take it you still want to be a dad?” she teased. 

“If you’ll be the mum,” he answered as he did back when they played house with Tony. Turning serious, he choked out, “It’s really… Are you sure?”

“Three tests, but you-know-who will want us to run at least one more in the infirmary.” 

The Doctor narrowed his brow in confusion for a second before realizing who she meant. 

“What do you think, old girl?” he addressed the ceiling. “Mind if there’s a baby on board?” 

The machine hummed happily. The couple exchanged smiles, both receiving the “About time!” through their telepathic link.


	8. Epilogue - A Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy ending that's just the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who reviewed and left kudos! This was a very fun one to write, but you all make it even better. <3 (In case you aren't sure what the first line means, this: http://www.babies.co.nz/strollers-car-seats/car-seats/safety-1st-baby-view-mirror.html)

The Doctor buckled his seatbelt and anxiously checked the newly added mirror above their heads. 

“She’s fine.” Rose patted his hand when he turned around to get a better view of the car seat in the back. “Let’s go home, hmm?” 

The Doctor searched her eyes. In them, he found the glow of new motherhood but also the exhaustion of labor.

“Yeah.” He swallowed his fear and focused on the task at hand. “Let’s show our daughter the way home.” 

Rose would have kissed him for confidence, but was too tired to move that much. Instead, she puckered her lips and blew him a kiss, which he caught with a smile. 

With one more quick glance to the baby mirror, then the rearview, he pulled out of the hospital car park and down the road toward their house and their new life, leaving their story as the longing childless couple in the past.


End file.
